


Even If It Is Only For Now, I Want To Be With You.

by One Night In Satellite (maidendays)



Series: For the Rest of Our Lives [2]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Love, M/M, Post-Series, Smut, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-19
Updated: 2016-10-19
Packaged: 2018-08-23 09:39:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8322976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maidendays/pseuds/One%20Night%20In%20Satellite
Summary: It's been nearly a year since that night at the party. Having confessed his love and Jack reciprocating, Yuusei thought he'd be content with a temporary long distance relationship while Jack wrapped up his retirement tour. Now too many months have passed without the World Champion being allowed to come home, and Yuusei finds himself increasingly frustrated... in more ways than one. Fortunately, Jack has a solution that will benefit them both.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This story is set after the events of "For One Night Only". Please read that story first if you haven't already.

Yuusei Fudou, Executive Director of the Neo Domino City Center for Research and Development of New Technologies, inventor and maintainer of the Fortune program, et al., stood stirring his morning cup of coffee as he gazed down from his top floor office upon the city below.

This city, a place that he loved with all his heart, was close to reaching true equality. He had been born to the darkest part of her, shivering in her slums in tattered clothes, spending many nights wondering if he'd live to see the morning, been beaten down by her greatest miseries, but now…. Since that defining day a decade ago, he had watched her grow little by little, thriving, peaceful, prosperous, moving toward a model egalitarian society.

He sipped his coffee, breathing in the warm, spicy aroma, and watched the dozens of D-Wheels zooming down the ever-expanding highway systems. He focused on one D-Wheel among the many, following its path, trailing it with his eyes until it disappeared from view, then repeated this with another.

He, and those people he held most dear, had given the city back her life. Every year since then, he had put a substantial amount of his own wealth back into the city's development projects in order to help her along toward utopia, and so to see his investment paying off was truly satisfying. Now, standing at the top of one of Neo Domino's tallest architectural marvels, he felt like a proud parent watching his child grow and mature before his eyes. This was everything he could have ever hoped for.

Or at least that's how he would have felt half a year ago before Jack Atlas strode back into his life and left him wanting, no, _needing_ more.

A jarring buzz broke his trance, his executive assistant's polite voice coming over the holo-phone.

_"Mr. Jack Atlas is on the line for you, sir."_

Surprised, he spun quickly, his lab coat swishing in the motion, and turned to his desk, holding down the conference call button on the holo-phone. His assistant's smiling face appeared in the floating conversation window.

"Put him through on the secure line, please."

_"Yes, sir. One moment please."_

Yuusei waited, excited in his anticipation. A few moments later his assistant's video feed flashed to black, and then the handsome face of Jack Atlas filled the holo-phone video window. 

"Good morning, Mr. Executive Director."

Jack smiled, his lips together in an even line. The immediate light around him glowed bright, but the darkness of night could be seen through the window behind him.

Yuusei spread his lab coat out and took his seat in his leather executive chair, placing his cooling coffee on the desk. He leaned toward the holo-phone, smiling back.

"Good evening, Mr. Atlas."

"There is a matter of great importance that we must discuss."

Yuusei hummed, his smile coy. "Oh? I thought this was a personal call. That sounds like business. As you're not on my calendar for the day..."

Jack's smile became a cool smirk. "Since when do I have to make an appointment?"

"If you wish to discuss business, then protocol must be followed."

"I see. And if it isn't business?"

"Carry on then, Mr. Atlas."

"Of course, Mr. Executive Director." As Jack spoke the words, he began to zip open his riding suit, exposing his neck and collar bones and cleavage to the video feed. "I hope you don't mind if I strip down a bit. It is rather warm in America this time of year."

Yuusei kept the mock-serious mask on his face, leaning back in his chair and picking up a pen stylus. "So I hear."

Yuusei watched as Jack slid the unzipped riding suit off one shoulder then off the other and down his arms and chest. The garment disappeared below the bottom of the video feed, leaving Yuusei to imagine where it had gone. Jack's white undershirt meanwhile left very little to the imagination, the tight fabric snug against his skin. Yuusei swallowed, his mouth feeling dry. He hid his lips behind his coffee mug, taking a slow sip; cold coffee wasn't as good. He looked away, picking up a stack of holo-reports from his inbox.

A rustling of fabric was followed by Jack's husky sigh. "As I was saying, we need to talk. Actually hold on, I'll be back."

Yuusei gazed back at the video feed, the window full of Jack's lower torso as he presumably stepped out of his riding suit. The feed emptied a moment later as Jack moved out of frame.

Yuusei looked down at the holo-report he held in his hands, reading through the first page and writing notations in the margins. He nodded to himself, finding sound logic in the research submitted by the lab assistants. He swiped to the next page, read their findings on the following pages, and digitally signed his approval on the final page. Setting down the completed report in his outbox, he moved on the next holo-report.

"Yuusei?"

Yuusei raised his head, turning back to the video feed as Jack sat back down. In his hands Jack held a mug.

Yuusei inclined his head. "I'm listening."

Jack's earlier playful expression was nowhere to be seen now. "Something came up."

Noting the serious tone in Jack's voice, Yuusei set down the holo-report on his desk and gave Jack his undivided attention. "About… ?"

"I have to stay in Florida for another month. My agent informed me this morning that the farewell tour has been extended. After this we're off to Buenos Aires for the South American Grand Cup."

Disappointment seeped into every part of Yuusei's being, and he frowned. "It's been extended three times already."

Jack fell to silence, sipping from his mug. He exhaled deeply, eyes closed. When his eyes fluttered open a short while later, his mug shifted to one hand and he waved the other as he spoke. "Do you think I'm not aware of that? She's a good agent, Yuusei."

"I'm not doubting your agent's abilities. I know that she has been personally responsible for many of your most successful tournament entries over the years. But isn't this becoming troublesome? Six months have already passed since you were due to retire."

"Yuusei..."

"Jack... the way that she keeps extending the tour… I worry that she's taking advantage of your good will. You need to request a definite tour end date."

"I've never known you to be this forceful..." Jack trailed off as if he didn't know where he was going with that line of thought.

Yuusei sighed, feeling truly frustrated for the first time in ages, and hating himself for it. His polite speech slipped into the rougher street language of his youth. "I grew up and know what I want now. You. Here with me. I'm gonna fight for you, know that."

Jack's tense expression softened into a calm smile. "All right, I'll ask her."

"For a finalized date?"

"Yes. I'm sorry for disappointing you."

Yuusei shook his head, irritation dissipating ever so much. "I'm sorry for getting angry."

Jack chuckled. "I'm flattered to know that you'll get angry for my sake. It's attractive actually."

Yuusei felt heat rush to his cheeks at the comment. "Only you would find an ugly trait like that attractive."

Jack laughed out loud, almost spilling the contents of his drink. "Nothing about you is ugly. I've always admired you. You know that, don't you?"

Yuusei found himself smiling, Jack's mirth infectious. "Yea."

Jack sipped his drink again, leaning his chin in his hand. Yuusei thought he looked very kingly in that pose.

"Anyway, since I can't come home anytime soon I thought you could come out here instead. How's that sound?"

"It sounds lovely, but you know I can't just leave. I have the Center to run. We're on the verge of a major breakthrough in next generation energy conservation."

"Not even for a few weeks?"

Yuusei shook his head. "That's too long to be away from the office."

"You're a workaholic, Yuusei. You have employees who can supervise the research while you're gone."

"They're not my employees. They work for the city."

"Point is, things won't combust if you aren't there for a few weeks. You've trained some of the finest energy scientists in all of Japan. You hand-picked them personally, didn't you?"

"I did but.."

"Come on, Yuusei! You should get out of the office and enjoy your life."

"I don't know…." Yuusei trailed off but he didn't sound as against the idea as before.

"Besides, your birthday is just a few weeks away. I want to celebrate it with you, in person."

Yuusei chuckled softly. "That's new. We haven't celebrated birthdays since we were 10 years old."

Jack's smile dissolved into a serious line and his gaze narrowed, eyebrows furrowed. "We never really had anything to celebrate back then. We never thought we'd live to see adulthood. We were too focused on surviving each day to have the luxury of wanting more. But..."

Yuusei sobered, as he always did when he recalled those dark days.

Forehead lines relaxing, Jack took a sip from his mug, balancing it on his raised knee. "But we do now. We have our health, lifelong friends, wealth, bright futures ahead of us, and most importantly, we have each other. Never again do I want to go a year without celebrating how far we've come. Never again do I want to forsake the small blessings in my life. Never again do I want to take for granted that I have you."

Yuusei smiled, his eyes beginning to water. Jack's words had touched him. He didn't think that it was possible to care for a person so much, but here he was feeling his love for Jack grow ever stronger.

"Ah."

"So will you get out of that damn office and spend some time with me on the road?"

Yuusei nodded, drying his eyes with the corner of his lab coat. "As if I could say no after such a passionate display of your resolve."

Jack smiled against his hand, pure royalty. "Good. If you'd said no I would've had to resort to drastic measures."

"Oh? And what are those?"

An ludicrously sexy grin spread over Jack's face. "I'll show you when you get here."

Yuusei nodded, feeling hot. "It's a promise."

More attractive than he had any right to be, Jack leaned in toward his holo-phone and filled the video feed with his smirking mouth, just the tip of his nose showing. "Have a good day, Yuusei. Think of me."

"You're a tease. Good night, Jack."

Jack's husky laughter was the last thing Yuusei heard before the holo-call ended. It left Yuusei shivering, and he took a few long moments to compose himself.

Remembering that, in fact, he had important work to do today, Yuusei downed the rest of his cold coffee, picked up the holo-reports in his outbox, and headed downstairs to the lab.

~~

When Yuusei stepped onto the terminal air-bridge at the Miami International Airport one month later, he was overheated, jet-lagged and terribly anxious. Leaving Japan on his own for the first time had been anxiety-spiking enough, but the added stress of a nonstop cross-Pacific supersonic jet flight from Neo Domino City to Los Angeles, passing through international customs and having his travel paperwork scrutinized, and rushing through the Los Angeles International Airport to a connecting flight to Miami had taken a heavy toll on his nerves. Rapidly realizing that his choice of dress – a lightweight vest over a long sleeve knit and straight-cut jeans tucked into motorcycle boots – was surprisingly inappropriate for the weather, Yuusei added this misjudgment to his growing list of things that hadn't gone right on this day, and sighed. As an American family rushed passed him in the tunnel, almost knocking him forward as their child brushed against his executive shoulder bag, Yuusei wondered how Jack had ended up convincing him that his trip was a good idea and why he had ultimately agreed to it.

 _Love causes one to make irrational decisions_ , said a wayward thought. He supposed that was true. He was here because he loved Jack.

But that didn't make this any easier. He was in a country he'd never been to before, where no one spoke his language – well, he supposed there had been plenty of Japanese language speakers at the Los Angeles International Airport – but here he was in Florida trying to navigate his way through a sea of white, black, Latino faces loudly speaking the English language – of which he only possessed a minimal vocabulary, most of it complex scientific terminology useless in everyday conversation – and feeling overwhelmed by the sheer size of this crowd of _foreign strangers_.

Completely lost in the terminal, Yuusei made his way over to a busy gate and suppressed enough of his nerves to speak to the gate attendant.

"すみません、手荷物受取所はどこですか？いや違う、英語な・・Sorry for Japanese. Where is the... bag area?"

"Are you looking for the Concourse D Baggage Claim?" she responded, smiling.

"Ah, yes. Is it the bags… sorry… luggage… retrieval section?"

"Yes, sir. Please follow the signs with pictures of luggage." She pointed toward the other side of the busy terminal. "There are arrows to guide you."

Thinking that he had understood enough of what she had said to find his way on his own, he politely thanked her in English and took off in the indicated direction.

Stepping onto a mostly empty moving walkway a few minutes later, he tightened his grip on the strap of his shoulder bag and stared straight ahead, exhaling slowly to relax his frazzled nerves.

"For Jack," he said aloud, reassuring himself.

On the ceiling ahead he spotted a sign with a picture of a suitcase, and feeling confident that he had found a promising direction, he picked up his pace a bit. His pocket vibrated once. Reaching into his jeans for his mobile holo, he tapped the home button and saw that he had missed a call from Jack, however a text message waited to be opened. Making a small leap off the end of the moving walkway, he checked the message.

_Hi. Waiting at the baggage carousel for your flight. B27A?_

Yuusei smiled, glancing up a moment to make sure that he was still headed the correct direction, and replied to the message.

_Hey. Yea that's right. What area?_

Jack responded a few moments later.

_Carousel 24. Big glowing holo-sign for taxi services nearby. I'm by the wall._

Making his way down what he hoped was the last set of escalators, Yuusei tapped his response.

_Got it. See you soon._

Tucking his holo into his pocket, Yuusei emerged into a massive baggage claim area. A torrent of foreign languages, most notably what he recognized to be Spanish, bombarded his ears. As it was no less crowded than any other part of the airport, and he couldn't see over the heads of so many people taller than him, Yuusei wandered the area for several minutes, maneuvering around circles of people waiting by the many carousels.

He finally spotted Jack standing by the wall with his holo to his ear, projection mode off, body half turned away from the crowd, seemingly arguing with someone. Dressed in a maroon polo shirt with knee-length cream khakis and casual brown loafers, large tortoise shell sunglasses resting on his head, Jack was radiant. He'd tanned considerably in the Florida sun, more than Yuusei had been able to see on the holo-phone in his office, which was certainly not an unfavorable look on him.

Jack turned his head in Yuusei's direction, and their eyes met. A pleased grin spread over his face and he waved his free arm back and forth, mouthing _Hi_.

Before Yuusei could voice a response, Jack pulled his holo away from his ear, staring at it in disbelief before shaking his head. The motion revealed his gold 'A' earrings which glinted in the artificial light. Clearly frustrated, Jack raised the holo and said with unmasked irritation, "I already said that I would meet him at the airport. Pardon my bluntness, but _how_ was I unclear?"

Yuusei gestured toward the carousel and Jack nodded, stepping away from the wall to stand by Yuusei's side in the circle of people. A few moments later the carousel buzzed and lit up, the conveyor belt beginning its rotation.

While they waited for the first pieces of luggage to be brought up, Yuusei observed how Jack's speech rapidly deteriorated into irritably coarse.

"No! This is ridiculous. I won't do it. I have plans today. Cancel it."

Not a party to this argument and therefore unable to speak but still wishing to give Jack his support, Yuusei leaned his head against Jack's shoulder, watching the slow circling of luggage. Jack wrapped his arm around Yuusei's shoulders, stroking his upper arm slowly.

"Listen, I'm not going to debate this with you any longer. Either you cancel the appearance, as I had requested you to do so more than three weeks ago, or I won't show up anyway and you'll have to deal with the sponsor's anger yourself. The choice is yours. Either way I'm taking personal time to spend with my significant other, and everyone will just have to deal with it. Did I make myself _clear_ this time?"

Jack practically growled and Yuusei heard the holo's end tone a moment later. Jack exhaled loudly, sounding like a dragon blowing smoke out of its nostrils.

"What a pain. Sorry you had to hear that. How was your flight?"

"Flights," said Yuusei.

"Flights. How were your flights?" corrected Jack without his usual humor, pulling Yuusei closer. Yuusei normally would have found Jack's demeanor concerning, but he was too tired.

"Long, cramped and crowded, noisy. A few crying babies. Turbulence. Didn't sleep well on the red-eye out of Neo Domino. Seated near the wings out of Los Angeles. It's true what they say that Americans are loud."

"Some Americans are, many aren't. Why didn't you fly first class?" Jack sounded surprised. "You sound tired."

"It's a waste of money for a slightly larger seat."

"But it _reclines_. And you get a lot more privacy and legroom."

"It doesn't matter. I'd rather put my money into other things."

From Jack's tone of voice he was likely smiling, but Yuusei didn't look up. "You're so practical."

"And you're a big spender with little to no reservations. I balance us out."

"Humor? Wow you _are_ tired."

"What gave it away?"

Jack chuckled but didn't respond otherwise.

"There's my luggage."

"The dark blue one? I got it."

Jack dropped his arm from Yuusei's shoulders and strode over to the carousel, lifting the large luggage up from the carousel and onto the floor. "Is this all you have?"

Yuusei nodded, gripping his shoulder bag. "Is it heavy?"

"Oh for me? You're kidding, right? This is nothing."

Yuusei smiled.

Jack smiled back, more lips than teeth. He was grinding his molars, evident from the way the muscles around the sides of his face moved ever so much, which Yuusei surmised to be from the stress of dealing with his agent. "Okay let's get out of here. I'm hungry."

Jack disengaged the lock on the handle of Yuusei's luggage and extended it to its full length. Yuusei thought they'd just head out but Jack surprised him with a tender kiss on the lips in the middle of the crowded airport for what felt like _all_ of Florida to see. When he raised his head a moment later, Jack was sporting a sly grin and Yuusei knew _he_ was blushing.

"What are you... ?"

"Relax, this is America. No one pays any mind to two men kissing. Not since they passed marriage equality legislation decades ago."

"But so openly…"

Jack laughed. "You're so Japanese, Yuusei."

Yuusei shook his head, embarrassed. "You've lived abroad for too long."

Jack smirked, playful. "That may be true. Come on, the car's outside."

As Jack started off toward the doors that led to the Arrivals passenger pickup area, Yuusei took a quick look around, and to his slight surprise saw that indeed no one had seemed to have paid them any mind at all. America really was a unique place.

They stepped outside, the oppressive humidity of Florida in late June washing over them, and crossed through a seemingly insurmountable number of vehicles to a massive parking structure. Jack pulled out his holo, tapping the screen twice, swiping once then tapping once more. A small projection of a document materialized above the screen, and a sweet feminine voice spoke.

_"Thank you for parking at Garage J. Our automated driving system will bring your vehicle around momentarily. The Miami International Airport appreciates your patronage and hopes that you will choose us again for your travel needs."_

A minute later a driver-less white sports car appeared around the corner, stopping exactly at their location. A clear male voice announced _"This concludes the Miami International Airport's automated valet program. Please resume control of your vehicle. Thank you for choosing us."_ The driver and passenger side doors swung open and the trunk's lock disengaged with an audible _clunk_.

While Yuusei came around to the passenger side, Jack collapsed the luggage and loaded it into the trunk. When they were seated a moment later, Yuusei's shoulder bag at his feet, Jack set his holo in a holder on the dashboard and tapped the car's power button. The engine roared to life, and a projection of a virtual woman in a simple grey uniform materialized above the holo's screen.

_"Welcome back, Mr. Atlas. May I know your intended destination?"_

"The Atlantean Hotel on Ocean Drive."

_"Understood. Would you like this vehicle to drive for you?"_

"No thanks, I'll drive."

_"Understood. Please drive carefully, Mr. Atlas."_

The projection changed to a 3D map showing the car's location relative to the destination. Yuusei was moderately impressed. Jack shifted the gear from park to drive and exited the garage, entering the seemingly endless stream of airport traffic.

"I didn't know you could drive here," Yuusei commented, his voice soft.

"I have an international driving permit. It's valid for 3 months at a time."

"Is the car yours?" Yuusei asked, admiring the muscle definition of Jack's arm.

"Rental, but I like this make of car. Mikage-san, what is our ETA?"

_"You should arrive at your destination in 52 minutes. An accident was reported on the I-95 Expressway causing a 26 minute delay."_

"Can you find a faster route?"

_"I apologize but it's impossible. You are on the fastest route despite usual traffic."_

Jack sighed. "Thank you."

_"I'm always in your service, Mr. Atlas."_

"It's baffling that even with all its technological advancements America has failed to solve its traffic congestion problems. I hate driving on their highways."

"I didn't see any duel lanes when the jet was coming in for its landing. Is this city not into riding duels?"

"They are but there is no infrastructure for it. The city is too old for major renovations like that."

"I see." Yusei hummed. "I noticed that you named your holo's A.I. 'Mikage-san'."

Jack chuckled. "Well… despite all her incessant nagging over the years, Sagiri Mikage was the best assistant I ever had. Godwin's mistreatment of her clouded my own view, so I rarely thanked her for all the work she did for me when I was the king. Now I carry those memories with me. Don't tell her about this, okay?"

Yuusei smiled, happy to see how much Jack had matured. "Wouldn't dream of it."

"Speaking of, how is she?"

"Doing well. We had dinner last week at this Italian restaurant that recently opened in the market district. Are you aware that she married Ushio last year?"

Jack nodded, his focus on driving. "They invited me to the wedding but with the tour I couldn't make it. Crow called me afterward, said it was a nice ceremony."

"It really was. She looked even more beautiful than usual in that dress. She talked about you at our dinner."

"What did she say?" Jack asked as he lowered the car windows.

"She said she still follows your media appearances closely. She watched your May interview with that TV station in London. She was worried that you hadn't been getting enough sleep, you looked very tired."

Jack grunted, sliding his hands down two positions on the steering wheel. "She wasn't wrong. The night before that interview I had a heated argument with my agent and went to bed angry. I only had 3 hours of restful sleep that night. The makeup artist hid the visible signs of it, but I suppose she would still recognize it even after all these years."

Yuusei frowned. "Your agent, you were arguing with her today too. How long has this been going on?"

Jack shrugged, turning onto the main highway and merging into rush hour Miami traffic. "I dunno.. 4 months?"

"Jack…"

"I've always gotten along with my agent but ever since I announced my retirement she's been treating me differently."

Yuusei didn't know how to respond to that, so he didn't.

Silence passed between them for a long while, Yuusei content to watch the changing scenery as they drove down the winding network of highways through central Miami.

_"Mr. Atlas, I'm pleased to report that the accident site has been cleared. 16 minutes have been subtracted from your arrival time."_

If Jack responded Yuusei didn't notice. He found himself fascinated with the city's color and vibrancy, captivated by its seemingly endless skyscrapers. He watched dozens of private and industry drones and small aircraft soar across the skyline. He had never seen palm trees so tall or painted murals so large. The humidity let up gradually as they drove toward the coast; the ocean breeze and warm rays of the early afternoon sun felt amazing on his skin.

Sometime later Yuusei noted a sign for Miami Beach; Jack had said nothing about his hotel being located so close to the ocean. Jack turned off the highway a few minutes later, lowering the car's speed considerably for city driving.

"It's beautiful here," Yuusei commented, taking in breathtaking views of the longest white sand beach he'd ever seen, countless rolling waves and an ocean so blue it seemed artificial.

"We're getting close," Jack added, then asked, "What would you like for lunch?"

Yuusei thought about it. "I really don't know. What would you recommend?"

"This area has a lot of Latin American and Caribbean cuisine. Have you ever had that before?"

Yuusei couldn't say he had. "Nothing authentic."

"There's other cuisine in the area too. Some of the best sushi I've had outside of Japan was at a restaurant in South Beach."

"It sounds like you've been here before..."

"Many times over the years. After all, the Miami Diamond Championship is one of the largest pro-dueling tournaments in America. My five year winning streak went unbroken until last year's tournament when I didn't enter. This year they invited me for the exhibition match. Did you watch the coverage?" Jack asked.

Yuusei nodded, remembering how brilliant Jack had looked in the exhibition match two weeks ago, how he'd fired up the crowd, how they'd chanted his name. The tournament had wrapped up two days ago. "I tuned in for the live stream of your match, but I was too occupied with work this month so I could only catch duel recaps and the title match," Yuusei replied. "There were some serious contenders this year. As for lunch, how about you pick?"

A short time later Jack pulled into a parking lot in a bustling restaurant complex. A Japanese steakhouse, an American diner, an Italian bistro, a Mongolian barbecue joint, a Mediterranean grill and a Cuban restaurant circled the lot.

"Cuban," Jack said as if on a whim, tapping the car's power button off.

 _"¡Hola!"_ said Jack to the maître d' after they had entered the restaurant. It was rather loud inside so Yuusei couldn't hear very well. Seeming to suggest that he couldn't either, Jack held up two fingers. The maître d' nodded and led them through the restaurant lobby to a secluded table in the corner.

Their server, a short dark-haired woman in an apron, greeted Jack in Spanish.   _"¡Hola! ¿Qué desean beber?"_

Jack smiled, charming. _"_ _¿_ _Beber? Oh, un café por favor._ _"_

 _"Hace mucho calor afuera. ¿Hielo?_ _"_

_"Sí."_

When the server turned to Yuusei he stared back blankly.

Jack waved his hand to get the server's attention and said, _"Mi novio no habla Inglés o Español."_

The server turned back to Jack. Yuusei held in a sigh of relief.

 _"¿De dónde es él?"_ she continued, setting an open menu on the table. Yuusei couldn't make out any of the words printed on it.

Jack glanced down at the menu, his gaze narrowing as he skimmed it. _"Japón. Yo también."_

 _"¡Muy interesante! ¿_ _Esta listo para ordenar?"_

 _"_ _Lo siento. No puedo leer esto._ _"_

The server's eyes widened. _"Oh. ¿Hablas Inglés?"_

Jack nodded. Yuusei didn't understand to what.

"Are you ready to order then?" asked the server in English.

Yuusei was taken aback by the sudden language change.

Jack responded in English. "Sorry, I've never been here before. What would you recommend?"

"Everything is delicious, really. Maybe try the breaded beef plate? It comes with seasoned rice, black beans and..."

Not understanding the bulk of the conversation, Yuusei tuned it out. When Jack and the server finished a few minutes later, Yuusei stared across the table. "You speak Spanish too?"

Jack laughed. "Not that much actually. Just enough for basic conversation and ordering meals. The essentials. My agent insisted that I memorize a few phrases for tournaments in Spain, here, and Latin and South America. I didn't see the point at first, but I've found that people take you more seriously if you show vague interest in learning their language. It's good for publicity too."

Yuusei nodded, leaning back in his chair.

"This is embarrassing to admit, but I couldn't read the menu in Spanish all that well. That's why she switched to English."

"Do you speak other languages?" Yuusei asked, genuinely interested.

"Hm. I'm strongest in English. I know a little French, Mandarin and Korean. Actually, I met up with Misty Lola in Paris back in March. Her English is as bad as my French so we had to speak in Japanese, rather funny in hindsight. I'm completely helpless in much of Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa unless they speak English. Translators are underappreciated."

Yuusei nodded again, smiling but saying nothing.

"I ordered you a glass of water," Jack continued, "I figured you'd probably be okay with a grilled fish plate with rice and black beans. It shouldn't be too heavy."

"I'm sure it's fine," said Yuusei, his words non-committing. "What did you order?"

"A single serving of seafood _paella_. It's a Spanish rice dish. I originally had it in Madrid. And coffee."

The server returned with a glass of ice water and an iced coffee. She said something in English then left again. Yuusei gave Jack a questioning look.

Jack plucked a stirring stick from the condiments basket on the table's side and began to stir his coffee with it. The ice rattled. "She said she's sorry for the Spanish earlier. Until I told her that we're both from Japan, she assumed that with my facial features and the European accent on my Spanish words that I was from Spain."

Yuusei nodded. Even when they were kids people used to mistake Jack for a European or an American. Although built on the ruins of what was once a rather homogeneous Japanese city, Neo Domino had come to be inhabited by a wide variety of 'Japanese' Japanese, 'half' Japanese and foreign nationals from all over the world. Jack himself didn't know his ethnic heritage; none of the people who had been raised in Satellite had birth certificates or family ledgers to reference. The surname 'Atlas' could have been randomly generated by a member of Godwin's regime, or Jack could have been born to non-Japanese who immigrated to West Domino before Zero Reverse. There was simply no way to know.

"I learned Spanish in Europe," Jack added, "It's a different dialect entirely from the ones spoken in this part of the world. How's Izayoi?"

"Aki's doing well. She finished her master's program two years ago. She's in her fourth year of residency at Neo Domino General Hospital, specializing in Pediatrics and Child Psychology."

"She's not pursuing General Surgery? Crow said she'd expressed an interest in it."

Yuusei took a sip of water, wiping away a forming moisture ring on the wooden table with a paper napkin. "She told me a while back that although she had an interest in working in Trauma or Internal Surgery, she'd hurt many people in her youth. She never again wants to be responsible for the loss of another person's life at her hands. She now feels that her true calling is to help children, especially those with psychiatric illnesses. What she experienced in Arcadia will always be part of her."

Jack hummed, making a slow rotation around the cup before setting the stirring stick on the table. "And Luca? Of course I know about Lua being in the same line of work."

Yuusei took a slower sip before answering. He wasn't used to drinking water this cold. "She's a semester away from obtaining her undergraduate degrees in Sports Management and Business Administration. She's invited Aki and me to her commencement ceremony. I'm allowed to bring a plus one."

Jack nodded, lifting the cup to his lips, his mouth momentarily disappearing behind it. "I'd be honored to be there." He lowered it again, balancing the cup between both of his hands. "What does she want to do with her degrees?"

Yuusei smiled, proud of the beautiful, intellectual young woman Luca had become. "She's always been with Lua. Even now they remain close. He's doing well in the Shingon League, but he wants to reach greater heights. She wishes to manage his career and build a brand around them. I feel that she has great potential to become a skilled agent, sports consultant or contract negotiator."

"Or all three," Jack suggested conversationally.

Jack cleared the table, setting his coffee to the side. Their food arrived, the server balancing two steaming plates on a tray. She placed the food before them, setting another glass of ice water before Yuusei.

"Thank you," Yuusei said to her in accented English. She nodded, smiling, and left. He turned back to Jack. "This looks delicious."

"Go on. Eat," Jack encouraged, lifting up a spoonful of _paella_ and lightly blowing on it.

They ate their meals, catching up on nearly a year's worth of work on-goings, riding dueling world news and happy memories of this and that. Being in Jack's presence like this was nice, even if they were just eating and talking, and Yuusei cherished every moment of it.

After Jack had paid for their meals with the automated register service, pulling up his credit account information on his holo and holding the device up to the scanner to be charged, they left the restaurant and headed back to the car. The rice dish had been quite tasty. While Yuusei probably could have gone for something more daring, Jack's choice had been made well. And Jack himself seemed to have enjoyed his own meal.

Jack switched to the navigation system once more, the same feminine voice directing them on toward Jack's hotel. Yuusei rested his arm on the open window on the passenger side, letting the wind rush through his fingers and along his arm. All of the tension that Jack had exuded earlier appeared to have faded away, and as he drove he spoke excitedly about his vacation plans for them. Yuusei chimed in from time to time, content to simply listen to Jack speak over the bustle of Miami Beach traffic.

It'd been a long day and Yuusei was jet-lagged. Jack's voice, the low tone of it, comforted him, relaxed him. He allowed his mind to drift to another time and place. His eyes drifted shut.

"–when we get to the room?"

Yuusei turned his head slightly, opening his eyes a bit. "Sorry, did you say something?"

"What do you want to do when we get to the room?" Jack repeated.

"Would I sound like an old man if I said that I wanted to sleep?" Yuusei asked, not expecting an answer.

Jack chuckled. "It's only late afternoon. You don't really want to sleep."

Yuusei hummed, drowsy. "And you know what I want?"

A weight on his thigh prompted Yuusei to look down; Jack's right hand had come to rest there. Jack's other hand still gripped the steering wheel, and his gaze remained firmly on traffic.

"Don't I?" Jack asked, moreso stated. His hand slid in between Yuusei's thighs, moving in slow circles, trailing close to his groin.

Yuusei's breath hitched and he opened his eyes fully, staring at Jack.

The navigation system spoke then. _"Mr. Atlas, please turn left at the upcoming intersection to arrive at your destination."_

"Thank you, Mikage-san."

_"At your service."_

"Still in the mood to sleep?" Jack questioned, his lips upturned ever so slightly.

Yuusei eyed the hand that had made its way to the center of his crotch. He gasped, becoming hot. "Jack… not here."

"We're almost to the hotel," Jack stated as if that was reason enough to palm Yuusei through his jeans.

The car pulled into the hotel's connected parking garage, and Jack stopped the car momentarily to tap the entry lane's parking ticket and valet selection screen. Jack's holo switched over from navigation to standard mode, the floating 3D map fading to black before its projection disappeared altogether.

_"Mr. Atlas, you have selected automated valet. Do you wish for your account to be billed for this convenience in addition to the daily parking fee?"_

"Authorize the charge, Mikage-san," Jack ordered, picking up his holo and tapping the car's power button to off.

Turning control of the car over to the automated valet system, Jack's hand made one more circle, teasing. "Yuusei, I'll ask once more. _What do you want to do when we get to the room?_ "

Yuusei responded without hesitation, his voice breathy, "You already know."

~~

The trip from the parking garage to Jack's hotel room felt a lot shorter than it actually had been. Jack had kissed Yuusei in the hotel elevator, taking his breath away, waking him up in more ways than one. They had barely entered the room, the door automatically shutting and locking behind them, when Jack set his holo and sunglasses on an end table and stripped off his polo shirt, exposing his tanned chest. Yuusei stood in the entryway in a trance, imagining running his hands up and down Jack's beautiful skin once more. He broke free of his reverie, abandoning his motorcycle boots by the door. Their clothes disappeared with urgency; a trail of carelessly discarded garments from the entryway to the bed.

Yuusei found the back of his head and neck pressed up against the headboard in a way that wasn't comfortable in the least, but still he gasped and groaned from what was definitely the most amazing blowjob he'd ever had. He squinted, lids heavy, incredibly turned on by the sight of Jack's head bobbing up and down, his golden 'A' earrings swinging, his face disappearing in Yuusei's crotch, his nose pressed into Yuusei's pelvis, the beautiful golden strands of his side bangs dangling and tickling Yuusei's inner thighs.

Yuusei threw his head back, hitting the headboard with a loud _thud_ and winced. He barely registered the pain, his fingers bunching the sheets. Jack was a god on Earth, a gift to humanity, adored by millions, the envy of duelists everywhere, and here he was _sucking Yuusei's cock_ like his life depended on it. Jack worked him with an incredible level of skill, his uneven breathing unsettling the sensitive hairs there, his tongue catching on the pulsing veins on the underside. He sucked lecherously, exhaled hot breath that stirred every nerve in the region to life and swirled his tongue around like it belonged there.

"Fu..ck… Jack.."

The words seemed to break Jack out of his trance, and he gazed up, meeting Yuusei's eyes, cock slipping from his lips with an obscene _pop._

"You taste delicious. I want you to know that."

Yuusei couldn't flush more than he already was and yet he felt heat rising to his cheeks even so.

Jack grinned, which with how his mouth hovered right above Yuusei's full erection looked ridiculous, and he said, "I've dreamed about this. But in my fantasies you come so undone that you can't even form words."

"And how would you have me then?" Yuusei asked, his tongue wetting the dry corners of his mouth.

"Wouldn't you rather we moved on?"

"Tell me," Yuusei insisted.

"Turn over."

While it was easy to follow Jack's instruction, the actual act proved to be painful, his hard cock pressing down into the sheets with such discomfort that Yuusei hissed.

"Raise your hips," Jack continued, his hand sliding up Yuusei's hip to the small of his back and back down again. "Yea... like that."

While the change in position relieved the pressure, it left Yuusei feeling exposed and dirty. Jack's hand glided from his hip to the curve of his ass and squeezed, rolling the sensitive flesh under his palm. Yuusei groaned, pushing his face into his hands, the pillow muffling the sound.

"How would I have you? Like this actually. One of my older fantasies I thought up 12 years ago when you were working on Wheel of Fortune in the garage and I was on that cheap couch pretending to read a magazine. While the real me didn't act on it and continued to watch you work, fantasy me became so horny that he thought 'to hell with it' and bent you over Wheel of Fortune right there, dropped your jeans, slicked us up, and thrust into you over and over again."

Yuusei spread his legs wider, groaning into the pillow, turning his head to the side, inhaling quickly and asking with anticipation, "Why didn't you… act on it?"

Jack hummed, perhaps considering the question. His hand slid between Yuusei's cheeks and spread them, but they didn't advance. "I wanted to, Yuusei, I really did, but it didn't seem appropriate to approach you when you were working so diligently on tuning the engine of _my_ D-Wheel." The hand moved away then the bed shifted dramatically. Yuusei saw out of the corner of his eye that Jack had stood and had his back, his beautiful back at that, turned to Yuusei as he busied himself with _something_.

"Stay like that," said Jack, more so commanded, and Yuusei found that he didn't mind the commands even if he thought that in a less pleasured state of mind he'd be a lot more hesitant to remain in such an embarrassing position. Yuusei closed his eyes and focused on breathing.

Jack did whatever he was doing for a few more moments before stepping back to the bed, it shifting again under his added weight. Fingers that hadn't been cold before spread his cheeks and _pressed_ . Yuusei shivered, spreading his legs ever wider, the strain on his knees increasing but he had to _know_.

The weight on the bed shifted again, the heat from Jack's body covering Yuusei as he leaned over him and whispered in his ear. "When we were 16, I thought about doing _this_ late at night after Crow and Kiryu and you had gone to sleep, warming you with my body, making you mine on the stone floor, shielding us from the chill of the wind blowing through the cracks in the broken walls of our hideout. And I thought of covering your mouth so your moans wouldn't wake them up, thought of confessing right there in the middle of our toughest operation in the gang-controlled zones, and with how quickly Kiryu was radicalizing I thought of thrusting so deep inside you that you'd absolutely say yes to leaving Team Satisfaction with me. But instead I stayed in my own corner, pushed that fantasy aside and resolved that I'd let you make your own decision about Kiryu. In the end I left and you stayed with him. I hated it, I hated it so much, Yuusei."

While Yuusei processed the words, all kinds of _yessssss_ swimming around in his thoughts, a finger pressed _in_ and then _up_ and _on._ Jack's vivid fantasy coupled with an amazing rush of pleasure left Yuusei shaking and panting.

"Do you want to hear more?" Jack asked, more so teased, his hot breath in Yuusei's ear and cascading down the side of Yuusei's face, warming him. Yuusei could only nod, a shake of his head that was barely a nod at all, his forehead pressed into the pillow, his head arched up to allow him room to breathe. In this position he couldn't see Jack but he didn't have to.

The finger was joined by a second, an excited second at that, and Yuusei resisted the urge to clench around them, leaving himself _open_ for Jack to explore. They pressed _up_ together then pulled back and thrust _in_ together and spread apart in the tight space, deliciously stretching the muscle. Past 30 years old now, Yuusei had seen his share of pornographic videos, seen how curious young men had their holes stretched like this, seen how expert fingers had teased then rapidly thrust in and out of them, heard the sound of slicked up fingers breaching past tight walls over and over again so swiftly that the act itself sounded lewd and sticky but left the men moaning over and over and _over_ again until they were an incoherent mess. Those images and voices became his own, he himself in the same position, stretched the same way, _fucked by fingers_ hard and fast in the same manner, moaning and wanting more.

"Jack… haaaaa… aaaaaahh….."

"The summer after I left Neo Domino I had the first of my match-ups in Macau against a Chinese duelist with a build similar to yours. He pushed me to my limits before a crowd of thousands. It was a close duel, he kept me on edge the entire time. The guy was really talented. He threw everything he had back at me with raw power, with anger, and I felt his soul burning, challenging me to push him even farther. It worked me up, Yuusei, but I came out on top. Later that night he came to my room, _wanting me_ , and wasn't shy about it. I could have had this guy, had all of him, but I turned him down. Do you know why? He reminded me too much of _you_ . I knew that whatever I had with this guy would be a poor substitute for you. After I kicked him out to the hallway, I went back inside and had one of the longest and most painful wanks _thinking of you_ , imagining that it was you who had dueled me that day, fantasizing that it was you who had come to my room with so much _need_. I came more times that night than I can remember."

The fingers multiplied to three and widened their girth and force, commanding him. Yuusei writhed, his knees trembling, his fingers clenching so hard that they threatened to turn white, and still he moaned.

"But this…. This is better than any of those fantasies, and," Jack paused, pressing _up_ with purpose, fingers curling, and Yuusei panted hard into the sheets as a lewd groan passed his lips, a wave of pressure rising then releasing to slick his thighs with wet warmth. Yuusei shivered at the feel of it flowing down his legs. "And the way that you _come_ is better than any fantasy you I've dreamed of… do you have any idea how hot you look right now? I want to take you."

Yuusei took a moment to catch his breath, turning his head to the side and meeting Jack's hungry gaze out of the corner of his eye. "Do… it. We've waited long enough, haven't we?"

"Yuusei… I have an idea. How about you tell me a fantasy or two of yours that you've had about us while I slick myself up?"

Yuusei tried to stay in the position but his knees ached and burned and he just couldn't anymore. He dropped onto the bed on his side and rolled onto his back, sighing with the return of comfort. If Jack minded the change in position he didn't comment, stroking himself slowly with a few drops of lube while Yuusei watched. Jack placed something shiny in his mouth, an unopened condom Yuusei realized, and tore it open with his teeth.

"Puberty hit you long before it hit me. You were barely 13 when I began to notice how your body was changing. Your limbs lengthened, muscle definition that hadn't been there before came into existence on your arms and shoulders, and I watched you from my own awkward, immature body... I watched your metamorphosis into this unattainable lady-killer who I couldn't possibly match. I knew I'd never catch up to you. You were perfect. And I'd touch myself at night thinking of how you were changing and growing. I knew that I wanted you. I wanted you so badly Jack. But I was a dumb kid with a crush and you were… you."

Jack looked up from prepping his erection, sliding the condom on and smiling in a way that was uncharacteristically soft and gentle. Yuusei's heart swelled with love.

"Tell me another," Jack encouraged, "I'm not quite ready."

Yuusei adjusted the pillows behind his head, rolling onto one side. His cock had softened but watching Jack slick up the condom with more lube _and_ stroke himself to full erection was awakening Yuusei's nerves all over again. Yuusei wet his lips, his tongue catching on his teeth. Jack's ministrations slowed momentarily as they watched each other, feeding off each other's arousal.

"That night before you left for Neo Domino you were sitting on your throne in the dark, staring off into the distance. I didn't want to bother you so I stayed where I was in the shadows and just watched you for a long time. After a while I thought about marching down the steps and asking you not to leave Satellite, even though I knew that was your ambition and nothing I could say would stop you. But if words couldn't persuade you to change your mind then maybe straddling you on your throne could. But, as you know, you stole my prototype D-Wheel and fled to fulfill Godwin's offer to become the King. I regretted not taking those steps forward, not trying to persuade you to stay, even if it was just words."

Jack hummed, one knee dipping into the bed followed by the other as he aligned himself and dropped Yuusei's legs onto his broad shoulders. Yuusei's hips canted forward in anticipation. "Tell me one more."

Yuusei inhaled harshly as he was claimed again, Jack sinking deep into him, filling him. "You want.... to hear more? We've talked enough I think. Aaaahhh…. you're so _big_."

Jack stilled once he was fully sheathed, and Yuusei took the moment to adjust. Jack leaned down and nipped at one of Yuusei's nipples, blowing on it. "Flattery will get you everywhere, but yes, one more. I'm going to move now."

Yuusei nodded, wrapping his arms around Jack's upper back, forcing him closer and _deeper_ . Jack's initial thrust ripped a moan from his lips, but he tried speaking again on the second one. "Last month when you called me… aah… I had hoped that you would do _something_ on the holo feed. You... teased me. I was working Jaaahhhh… Jack... but there you were tempting me to defile my office watching you stri... strip. What you did was unfair. I have a reputation to up...hold… people look up to... me. But your beautiful body… when I went home... that ni...ght.. I took care of myself... in the shower _fuck Jack faster…._ and thought about you embra...cing me like this. Haaaa…. the real thing is so.. much… better…. aaaaahhhh Jaaaaaack yessss!"

"That's what I wanted… to hear… Yuusei. That you wanted this. That you wanted me…. wanted me inside you…. like this…. haaaaahhh…"

Jack thrust harder, the bed hitting the wall and Yuusei's head hitting the headboard. He pushed off of it with one hand, nearly screaming when that caused him to impale himself even deeper on Jack's rock hard cock, his head falling back onto the pillow, face lolling to the side, losing himself to the pleasure and satisfaction of being so _filled_. Jack's deep thrusts left him feeling breathless, feeling senseless, feeling dumb. This was better than any fantasy he'd had over the years, and now that he had the real thing he knew that no fantasy he'd have in the future would be able to compare to the sensation of Jack messing him up so thoroughly. He couldn't talk, he had lost the ability…. so this was what it was like to be fucked senseless.

"God you're tight… so unbelievably tight… damn…." Jack muttered, his tongue lapping around Yuusei's nipple. He bit down, yanking the sensitive nub between his teeth then released it, repeating the action with the other nipple. His tongue traveled up the taut skin over Yuusei's sternum to his collarbones, worshiping those too. His thrusts slowed considerably as he trailed his tongue up Yuusei's neck.

Jack's bangs noticeably clung to his forehead, his hair tousled, traces of sweat on his skin. Yuusei ran his fingers through the soft golden strands, parting the damp fringe up and to the sides, his fingers finding purchase there. His other hand fell from the headboard and slid around Jack's neck, pulling him down into a languid, impassioned kiss. Yuusei felt Jack's pulse racing beneath his fingertips, picked up faint lingering scents of herbal hair product and musky aftershave, tasted hints of salt in the saliva exchanged between them.

Jack unexpectedly broke away, his ragged breathing signaling his approaching climax. Yuusei found himself unpleasantly surprised when Jack slowed his thrusts and pulled all the way out.

"I'm seriously about to _come_ but this position isn't comfortable for you, is it?"

"It's fine," Yuusei protested, feeling _so unbelievably empty_ all at once.

"Liar." Jack chuckled, laughter dripping with lust. "Take the top."

Jack grasped Yuusei's arms and pulled him forward and up into a sitting position. He dropped down to where Yuusei had been, adjusting the pillows under his head, adding another to solve the headboard problem.

Yuusei braced himself with both palms pressing against Jack's stomach and lifted himself up and over, straddling Jack's thighs in one swift motion.

"Are you feeling okay?" Jack asked, sounding concerned, which to Yuusei seemed out of place. "The bottle's at the foot of the bed if you need it."

Yuusei opposed the suggestion with a shake of his head, feeling the lube inside him flowing downward, threatening to escape before Jack could fill him again. He sighed, clenching to keep it from escaping. "I said… it's fine."

"All right," Jack said without protest and then, "I love you," in what sounded like an afterthought.

Yuusei tried not to laugh at how out of place _that_ seemed. "Yea, I love you too Jack Atlas."

" _I love you_ ," Jack repeated with an easygoing smirk, emphasis on each word, his hands grasping Yuusei's hips to help balance him.

"Now you're just being cute."

"Well is it working?"

"Absolutely."

Yuusei held Jack's waiting cock with one hand, stabilizing himself with a press against Jack's hip with the other. He lifted his hips up then sank down onto the erection, filling himself again, sighing in satisfaction. With the first bit of movement Jack met him halfway down, strong hands around his hips, fingers stroking his back, thrusting up. They both moaned.

"Take control," Jack rasped.

Yuusei didn't have to be told twice, propelling himself up again then swiftly back down.

Jack watched him with wide, transfixed eyes. "Gorgeous…haaaa… aaahhh." His hips didn't move this time, which Yuusei understood as confirmation that Jack truly desired for him to do as he pleased. And so he took charge, leaning his whole body forward, curling his fingers around Jack's shoulders, pressing his palms into Jack's collarbones, and letting his hips rise and fall in steady repetition.

Somehow _this_ was different than how he thought it'd be. Jack trusting him to set the pace and bring them both pleasure, watching the rise and fall of Jack's chest, hearing his own breath catching and Jack's soft grunts, leaning his cheek into hands cupping his face, seeing Jack's tanned skin glisten with sweat, arching into fingers stroking him toward climax, and all of it culminating in a final drawn out moan from the beautiful man beneath him and Yuusei himself following moments later. Yuusei understood; _this_ was different because this wasn't just sex, _this_ was them expressing their love in a way that words could not.

Utterly spent, Jack gazed up at Yuusei with a tired smile, a line of sweat dripping from his temple. He encouraged Yuusei off of him with a light shove to the hip, getting up to dispose of the condom. Yuusei rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling, catching his breath.

Jack's extended hand appeared in Yuusei's peripheral vision a moment later and he clasped it, following Jack to the bathroom for a shower. Jack took a few moments to remove his earrings and hair beads, setting them down on a hotel towel on the counter. Yuusei busied himself with the automated shower faucet, testing the temperature and water pressure and switching to overhead spray. When they were comfortably under the spray together, Jack captured Yuusei's lips in a tender kiss, pulling away a moment later.

"Thank you for making the trip out here," Jack said with warmth, "I know that it must have been stressful for you."

Yuusei smiled, reaching for an already opened bar of hotel soap, running it over his arms and neck. "Being here with you made it worth it. But I _do_ have Center work to do, just so you're aware."

One of Jack's eyebrows rose. "Tell me that's a joke. You're going to work on your vacation?"

"I'm completely serious. I still have an organization to run. Don't worry, it'll only take an hour each day."

Jack responded by staring back, his gaze judging. But the way that the water cascaded down his hair and face softened his features, making the stare seem less harsh. Not breaking the gaze, Jack squeezed a bit of shampoo into his palm and began lathering up his hair.

"I know that you aren't entirely off the hook with work either," Yuusei added feeling a bit guilty. He moved on to soap up the rest of his body, or at least the parts that he could reach. Jack took the soap from his hand.

"Turn around," Jack said. When Yuusei did, Jack lathered up his upper back and the nape of his neck, moving the bar around in gentle circles over Yuusei's skin. "I suppose it was foolish of me to expect that we would have this entire time to ourselves without distractions."

Yuusei turned back around and kissed Jack again. "I think it's romantic. There's nothing foolish about that."

Jack smiled, using the bar on his own body. "I just realized that we left your luggage _and_ your shoulder bag in the car. The shoulder bag that I now suspect contains _work things_."

"We had a perfectly good reason to forget about it," Yuusei replied with mirth, reaching for the shampoo. He would have preferred to use his own, but he didn't mind smelling like Jack for a day or two. "The sex was good."

It was Jack's turn to laugh. His eyes had closed. "Of course it was."

Yuusei punched Jack in the shoulder, shaking his head.

Jack winced, opening one eye and wiping away shampoo from his face. "I meant to say that I enjoyed it as much as you did."

Yuusei washed his hair in silence, a stray thought wandering across his consciousness. "Jack," he began finally, trading places with Jack under the spray. "It's been nearly a year since _that_ night."

"You're not getting overly sentimental on me, are you?"

"I mean that we haven't really defined our relationship. Are we dating? Are you my lover or my boyfriend? Have you told anyone about us?"'

Jack coated his hair in what Yuusei assumed was conditioner. It smelled especially minty.

"I don't like labels," Jack replied, curt, but he then clarified, "I've been labeled my whole life. I don't exist within the confines of categories created by others. It reminds me of the days when we were labeled _scum._ "

Yuusei understood Jack's perspective, but still felt self-conscious, which seemed odd considering that they had just made love, that they had just expressed their feelings in such a meaningful way. "I suppose I just wish to know where we stand. Today was only the second time that we've been... intimate.... but we holo each other all the time, and, honestly, today has felt like an extended date."

Yuusei finished his shower and slid open the shower door just enough to slip through it, sliding it back closed again immediately. He dried himself off with a fresh hotel towel, looking back at Jack's distorted silhouette through the privacy glass.

"I've kept what we have between us," Jack replied several long moments later, his voice echoing ever so slightly. "I don't see the point in labeling our relationship. Labels change over time. _This_ isn't something temporary, is it?"

Yuusei ran the towel through his hair, registered that Jack had just turned off the spray and was sliding open the shower door. "Of course not. I think we've made it rather clear that we want this to last. But that's precisely _why_ we should define it."

Jack stepped out of the shower, running a hand through his hair. "All right. Then you're my boyfriend."

Yuusei frowned, wrapping the towel around his waist and securing it. "You don't have to force yourself. I understand."

Jack shook his head, water scattering in the motion. "Yuusei, this isn't something to worry about. I love you. I had thought that saying it was more than enough. But if I have to put a label on our relationship, then I'm fine with calling you my boyfriend. I don't want you to be unhappy."

Yuusei conceded, smiling. "Thank you."

Jack turned away, drying his hair over the sink. This left his naked backside exposed for Yuusei to admire.

"Let's finish up here," Jack said, "There's something I want to show you."

They finished drying off then redressed quickly and left the hotel room, Jack setting the privacy holo-card on the door. The locked clicked and beeped loudly, a friendly male voice stating, _"Your room has been secured. Enjoy your time in Miami Beach."_

~~

Yuusei had been on a white sand beach at only one other time in his life and he had been 10 years younger then, on a vacation that Aki had practically begged him to take with her. But here he was with his _boyfriend_ , his jeans rolled up to his knees and his toes sinking into the wet sand. The setting summer sun framed Jack's face exquisitely, a marvelous pink, orange and purple sky vivid behind him. Jack stepped into the rolling waves, his loafers dangling from the fingers of one hand, Yuusei's own hand held firmly in the other. Yuusei laughed with delight when the sea foam tickled his shins, and he squeezed Jack's hand tighter, never wanting to let go.

"The water's warm," Yuusei said, pleasantly surprised.

"That's the tropics for you," Jack said back with a fond smile.

They ran through the waves, heading down the beach, Jack laughing like he didn't have a care in the world. And Yuusei felt free, lighter than air, delighted. Why did he stay inside all the time, working himself to exhaustion on this project and that invention when there was a wide open world out there to explore, an entire series of unpainted panels of the canvas of his life left blank and ready to be painted with color and endless possibilities? And all of those possibilities could involve Jack at his side, filling his life with never-ending joy and boundless love.

"Dinner?" Jack offered.

Yuusei nodded, smiling.

Jack grinned, bringing Yuusei's hand to his lips, placing a soft kiss upon his knuckles. "Do you remember that sushi bar I mentioned? It's just a bit further up the beach. Shall we?"

"Yea," said Yuusei, unable to keep the widest of smiles off his face. He leaned into Jack, content and at peace, floating in bliss, closing his eyes. "Let's."

_~FIN~_

**Author's Note:**

> Language Notes: The Japanese words that Yuusei says essentially translates to: "Excuse me, where is the baggage claim area? No that's wrong, English huh.."
> 
> While any other time when Yuusei and Jack are speaking Japanese it is written as normal English, I specifically wrote Japanese text in this chapter to convey the language barrier between Yuusei and the gate attendant. As such his English speech, which is the only time in the chapter when he is not speaking Japanese (aside from 'thank you's), is written with pauses as he tries to communicate in his limited vocabulary.
> 
> As Yuusei in the anime is known for his informal, sometimes downright rude speech patterns (「おい、デュエルしろよ!」「だが俺はレアだぜ」etc.), I find the concept of a Yuusei who speaks in keigo (polite, standard Japanese) to be amazing. The most clear example of this is in the Japanese version of Bonds Beyond Time when he meets Judai and later Yugi (「十代さん」「俺のことは遊星で構いません、遊戯さん。」「俺達は未来から来たんです 。」). Keigo Yuusei is just too cute.
> 
> Although Jack's Spanish may look impressive if you don't understand the language, it is, as he says, quite poor. As for his English, I believe that after 10+ years as the world champion he'd have picked up a strong enough English proficiency to communicate with native speakers without much trouble.
> 
> Regarding Yuusei and English: In episode 86 of 5D's, Barbara sends Yuusei a letter asking for help saving Kiryu. This letter is written entirely in English. As Yuusei apparently told no one that he was going to Crashtown, this seems to imply that Yuusei can not only read English but understand it on a native level. I don't believe this can be true because 1) Yuusei grew up in Satellite without any formal education, and 2) even if Martha taught him English there's no way he would have learned it well enough for this. I believe that it's more likely that the letter was put there purely for visual effect as many things are in anime.
> 
> ~~
> 
> If you're interested in my writing process you may follow me at @maidenwrites on Twitter. I post excerpts from upcoming/in-progress stories, and tweet about major writing progress updates. (My R-18 writing updates, adult-only excerpts and explicit musings can be found at @maidenmuses.)


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